Carnegie murder victim remembered at candlelight vigil

Randy Jarosz | For The Signal Item - Colleen Bowers, the mother of Melissa Bowers, and her son, Rich Bowers, look on during a candlelight vigil at Carnegie Borough Building in remembrance of Melissa Bowers, who was murdered by her boyfriend Feb. 8, 2012. It was the only homicide in Carnegie in 2012.

Randy Jarosz | For The Signal Item - Friends and family release balloons in front of Carnegie Borough Building in memory of Melissa Bowers, who was murdered by her boyfriend on Feb. 8, 2012 in Carnegie. About 150 attended the vigil.

Daily Photo Galleries

Carlynton Photo Galleries

Colleen Bowers doesn't exactly know where the idea to hold a candlelight vigil on the one-year anniversary of her daughter Melissa's death originated.

But she woke up one morning in late December with the thought in her mind.

“I don't know if Melissa put it in my head, but I kept (debating it),” Bowers said. “I didn't know if I could do it. Jan. 3, I woke up in the morning (and) I just decided, ‘This is what I'm doing, and I'm doing it.' I didn't care if two people showed up — it was something I was doing.”

The event on Feb. 8 drew more than two people. About 150 friends, family members, neighbors and officials packed the council chambers in the Carnegie Borough Building to remember Melissa Ann Bowers.

Bowers, 36, of Sheraden, was stabbed to death Feb. 8, 2012, by ex-boyfriend Jeffrey Maloy in a domestic incident inside Maloy's home on Railroad Avenue.

Maloy pleaded guilty to third-degree murder in October 2012 and was sentenced to 20 to 40 years in prison.

The vigil's standing-room only crowd remembered a “beautiful,” “loving” mother of two who helped people in need.

“She was very loving and caring,” said Rich “Butchie” Bowers, Melissa's brother. “She always looked out for the best for me. I was at a point in my life where I was trying to do that for her, and this tragic thing happened.”

Melissa Bowers graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh with two degrees: one in multimedia and Web design and the other in digital design.

As a member of the Ancient Order of the Hibernians District 11, she put her design background to good use as a member of the St. Patrick's Day Parade Designer Button Committee for more than 10 years.

More than that, however, she was a mother to two children: Brittany, 15, and Brenden, 6,

“Her children were her life,” Colleen Bowers said.

Andi Long, whose daughter was friends with Brittany Bowers, said she became friends with Melissa shortly after moving into the same neighborhood.

Long said Bowers would always try to cheer up people when they had bad days.

“I know in her heart that she would want everybody to be happy,” Long said.

Colleen Bowers said her daughter was taking her caring nature a step further by planning to become a nurse.

While Friday night's vigil focused on Melissa's life, Colleen Bowers also read the victim's impact statements she and Brittany wrote for Maloy's sentencing because she didn't want them “buried in court documents.”

At times struggling through tears, Bowers described the pain in her life since her daughter's murder.

“This is the most heart-wrenching heartache a mother and father have to deal with,” Bowers said. “There is no excuse in life, drunk or sober, for anyone to take the life of another human being as Jeffrey Maloy did to my daughter. It was brutal, it was horrific, and till the day I die and go beyond, I will always have that pain with me.”

In addition to Bowers, Mary Volkar, a trauma specialist from the Center for Victims and Violence, spoke about the problem of domestic violence and the impact of domestic violence homicides on families.

“You came here tonight because you care,” Volkar said. “Please continue to care for the Bowers family. Say Melissa's name out loud and tell your favorite memories. Send notes and cards to the family. They need to hear it.”

Carnegie Mayor Jack Kobistek also spoke at the vigil.

Colleen Bowers thanked Carnegie officials and family friends for their help since Melissa's murder.

The Ancient Order of Hibernians helped to raise money for Melissa's funeral, and family and friends also started a fund at PNC Bank for Melissa's children, the Brittany & Brenden Fund. Thousands of dollars already have been raised for the fund.

Colleen Bowers said she plans to remember her daughter every Feb. 8 with a vigil, even if she does it alone.

“She was a beautiful girl,” Bowers said. “(She) just was with the wrong people.”

Doug Gulasy is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-380-8527 or dgulasy@tribweb.com.

TribLive commenting policy

You are solely responsible for your comments and by using TribLive.com you agree to our Terms of Service.

We moderate comments. Our goal is to provide substantive commentary for a general readership. By screening submissions, we provide a space where readers can share intelligent and informed commentary that enhances the quality of our news and information.

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderating decisions are subjective. We will make them as carefully and consistently as we can. Because of the volume of reader comments, we cannot review individual moderation decisions with readers.

We value thoughtful comments representing a range of views that make their point quickly and politely. We make an effort to protect discussions from repeated comments  either by the same reader or different readers.

We follow the same standards for taste as the daily newspaper. A few things we won't tolerate: personal attacks, obscenity, vulgarity, profanity (including expletives and letters followed by dashes), commercial promotion, impersonations, incoherence, proselytizing and SHOUTING. Don't include URLs to Web sites.

We do not edit comments. They are either approved or deleted. We reserve the right to edit a comment that is quoted or excerpted in an article. In this case, we may fix spelling and punctuation.

We welcome strong opinions and criticism of our work, but we don't want comments to become bogged down with discussions of our policies and we will moderate accordingly.

We appreciate it when readers and people quoted in articles or blog posts point out errors of fact or emphasis and will investigate all assertions. But these suggestions should be sent via e-mail. To avoid distracting other readers, we won't publish comments that suggest a correction. Instead, corrections will be made in a blog post or in an article.

Print Source

Welcome to PrintSource, a division of Trib Total Media.

We have established a veteran team that provides daily and weekly newspaper companies with a comprehensive set of services that include design, print, packaging and delivery of their products, all from one source and location.

Gone are the days when each facet of newspaper printing and delivery had to be outsourced to different companies and venues. Now, PrintSource provides a viable solution with just one phone call.

Digital Sales

We offer a wide variety of traditional and new digital advertising options customized to fit your needs!

Whether you're just starting out, or you've been a keystone in the community for years, our knowledgeable staff can provide you with a customized package including online banners/advertisements, Social Media Marketing (Facebook / Twitter), Website development, Search Engine Optimization, Email Marketing solutions and much more!

Contact your local sales rep today for details, personalized proposal and a meeting to discuss how we can meet your needs.